Private nonprofit · University

Harding University

Searcy, Arkansas · Distant town

#4 graduation rate in Arkansas
70.5%
Admit rate
$22,130
Avg net price
69%
Graduation rate
$52,876
Median earnings

Harding University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Searcy, Arkansas (distant town setting), enrolling 3,382 undergraduates. It has a Churches of Christ religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,382 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 71% admitNCAA Division II with football · Great American ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Harding University's admitted students.

Admit rate
70.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1050–1290
Avg GPA (est.)
3.41

Enter a test score to see where you land against Harding University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Harding University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Searcy, Arkansas

Searcy is the largest city in and the county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. Originally named White Sulphur Springs, the town's name was changed in 1837, two years after White County was created. The state changed the county seat name to honor Richard Searcy (1794–1832), a prominent Arkansas Legislator. One of the state's largest banks, First Security Bank, was established in downtown Searcy in 1932 as Security Bank. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
347 miles
Nearest airport
46 miles to Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field (LIT)

How Harding University compares

Selectivity70.5%

More selective than 63% · #8 most selective of 15 in Arkansas

SAT average1182

Higher than 53%

Graduation rate69%

Higher than 76% · #4 of 21 in Arkansas

First-year retention86%

Higher than 79%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$52,876

Higher than 47% · #6 of 22 in Arkansas

Average net price$22,130

Cheaper than 40% · #18 cheapest of 21 in Arkansas

Median debt at graduation$26,500

Lower than 20%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment3,382

Larger than 71%

Percentiles compare Harding University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Arkansas.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

4,542students
  • Undergraduate3,38274%
  • Graduate1,16026%

Undergraduates by gender

3,382undergrads
  • Women1,92257%
  • Men1,46043%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White80%
  • Black4.5%
  • Hispanic4.8%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial9.6%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,382
Graduate enrollment
1,160
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
24%
First-generation students
21%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$71,055
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$72,072
Endowment
$217,276,124

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
70.5%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1050–1290
SAT average
1182
SAT reading
530–660
SAT math
520–630
ACT composite
20–29
Average GPA (estimated)
3.41

Cost

In-state tuition
$26,262
Room & board
$9,060
Books & supplies
$598
Total cost of attendance
$39,534
Average net price
$22,130

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
69%
Graduated on time (4 years)
52%
First-year retention
86%
Transferred to another college
21%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,555
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$52,876
Median debt at graduation
$26,500
Students with federal loans
44%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
69%

About 17% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
52%
Low-income (Pell)
53%
First-generation
52%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,687
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
79%
Housing charge (year)
$4,460
Meal plan (year)
$5,256
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Great American Conference
Varsity athletes
478 (327 men · 151 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Football145
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)125
Soccer58
Baseball46
Basketball29
Tennis21
Softball20
Golf17
Volleyball17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
13
Property offenses (2022–2024)
19

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 8 campuses (4,696 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

11reported offenses a year
4.3 violent a year6.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
5.0
Fondling
2.7
Rape
1.7
Motor vehicle theft
1.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$15,418
$30–48k
$17,430
$48–75k
$19,832
$75–110k
$22,017
$110k+
$26,284

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$86,701

$19,832/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

98%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$13,739
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 98% — get grant money from Harding University itself, averaging $13,739, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 800 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$52,876
Typical debt at graduation
$26,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
61%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$47,554
Men
$59,162

Men out-earn women by $11,608 (24%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
93°F
Winter low
30°F
Annual rain
51.8″
Annual snow
1.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.05.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Searcy, AR US station (1.5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Harding University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Harding University side by side →

Colleges near Harding University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.